Big confusing and infuriatingly difficult to do business in –that’s the opinion most international gem and jewelry manufacturers have of China. Still, while China may be all of these things, it’s also the globe’s biggest potential jackpot for all who find success there.
For this reason, solid attendance is expected at three separate trade shows to be held in China in October and November—JewelTime in Shanghai from Oct 26-29, the Beijing International Jewelry, Watch, Spectacles & Technical Equipment Fair from Nov 2-5 and the Shanghai International Watch and Jewelry Fair from Nov 30-Dec 3.
Organized by Brilliant-Art Trade Fairs of Hong Kong, JewelTime will be held at the Shanghai Centre and will feature a record total of 150 exhibitors from Korea, Japan, Taiwan, Thailand and Belgium.
A highlight of the show will be the display of Columbia emeralds from Kenny International in Hon Kong. The display will feature three large emerald cabochons: the Paz (259 carats), Esperanza (145 carats) and Amor (58 carats).
One month later, Shanghai will host another event—the Shanghai International Watch and Jewelry Fair. Last year’s event drew a nearly overwhelming crowd of 62,000 visitors—53,000 members of the general public and 9,000 trade professionals.
While the ratio of public-to-trade-members might frighten some exhibitors, they marked a major improvement on the previous year’s numbers, according to Thierry DuBois of Promo Services Ltd.
“One of the big differences compared to [1993] is that a larger percentage of the visitors to [1994’s] event are persons from the jewelry and watch trades,” he said at the end of last year’s show. “We have seen a lot of buyers attending this event and our exhibitors are very pleased.”
Like last year’s event, the fair will be divided into two separate areas: The Atrium (4th floor) reserved for Swiss watch brands with a show-window presentation and the Exhibition Hall (lower ground floor) reserved for watch companies as well as jewelry manufacturers with a booth presentation.
Confirmed participants include major watchmakers Cartier, Longines, Piaget,
TAG-Heuer and Yves Saint Laurent.
Thai companies exhibiting at the event include World Jewels Trade Centre and JewelSiam.
In between the two fairs in Shanghai, the trade show circuit travels to Beijing for the Beijing International Jewelry, Watch, and Spectacles & Technical Equipment Fair ’95. Last year’s event was the first officially-recognized fair of its kind ever held in China.
The 1994 edition attracted 317 exhibitors from 23 countries and areas. Fair attendance was solid, with 8,500 visitors coming from 29 countries. Of this figure, 7,500 were local visitors who came from all across China.
A busy schedule of seminars is planned. Events at last year’s fair included seminars featuring such top industry figures as Frederich Schwarzer, president of CIBJO; Phillip Dobbs of De Beers’ Central Selling Organization Far East Office; and Sadaharu Fujita, former president of the International Colored gemstone Association.
JewelSiam will be in attendance at the fair.
JewelTime’95
Brilliant-Art Trade Fairs Ltd, 1101,
Tung Wai Commercial Building,
111 Gloucester Rd, Wanchai,
Hong Kong.
GPO Box 985 Hong Kong.
Tel: (852) 2511-6077
Fax: (852) 2507-5855
Shanghai International Watch and Jewellery Fair
Thierry Dubois, Promo Services Ltd,
1601, Far East Finance Centre,
16 Harcourt Road, Hong Kong,
Tel: (852) 2529-1519
Fax: (852) 2529-1534
Beijing International Jewelry, Watch,
Spectacles & Technical Equipment ‘95
Miller Freeman Asia,
907 Great Eagle Centre,
23 Harbour Road, Wanchai,
Hong Kong.
Tel: (852) 2827-5121
Fax: (852) 2827-7064
Jewelry Arabia 95
Bahrain Oct 26-29
3rd MidEast Watch & Jewellery Fair
Sharjah, United Arab Emirates Oct 3-7
Dubai’s Gold, Jewellery, Gems & Watches Exhibition Dubai Oct 4-7
For companies looking to penetrate the gold-hungry countries Middle East market, the month of October presents several intriguing options. Three major events—Jewelry Arabia 95 in Bahrain, the 3rd MidEast Watch & jewellery Fair in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates, and Dubai’s Gold, Jewellery, Gems & Watches Exhibition in Dubai—are scheduled to be held during the month of October.
The three events offer a prime opportunity to make an impact in a marker which consumed a total of 438.3 tons of gold last year, more than either the United States or Europe.
The Dubai show, which was previously held in March, will now be held every year in October. This year’s show is scheduled for Oct4-7, and next year’s show will be held Oct 1-4. The show, organized by Advexh International at the Forte Grand Hotel in Dubai, generated a total of US$6.5 million in cash sales to exhibitors from 18 countries, including Thailand, Spain and India.
The date change was made to accommodate Advexh International’s promotion of another top regional show—“The International Jewelry Event” in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia—which will now be held each year in March. Said Clinton Mitchell of Advexh International, “With these two events, Advexh will be hosting ‘jewelry events’ in both the major markets of the Middle East.”
Jewelry Arabia 95 will be held at the Bahrain International Exhibition Centre from Oct 26-29. Last year’s event was held from Nov 17-20 and boasted 242 exhibitors, including 201 international companies. The total number of visitors was 6,097, including sizeable numbers from the lucrative US$1.4 billion Saudi Arabian market. Bahrain is physically linked to Saudi Arabia by the King Faud Causeway, is geographically central to the markets of the Arab Gulf States and is regarded as one of the region’s premier trading centers.
Thai companies scheduled to appear at the show are: Anila Gem Import-Export (Booth 325); Geeson’s (228); KD Classic gold Creation (238);M/S Emerald Mines (331); rainbow Mineral & Crystal (223): and V& P Jewellery (424).
The 3rd MidEast Watch & Jewellery Fair will be held at the Expo Centre Sharjah in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates. More than 120 companies from 20 countries will be exhibiting, with first time participants from Spain, Turkey, Greece, England, Switzerland and Sri Lanka.
For further information on these shows, please contact:
Dubai’s Gold, Jewellery,
Gems & Watches Exhibition
Clinton Mitchell/Mustafa Baig,
Advexh International, P.O. Box 24356 Dubai
United Arab Emirates.
Tel: 04-216587
Fax: 04-272397
Jewelry Arabia 95
Phillip McKean, Overseas Exhibition Services Ltd.
11 Manchester Square,
London W1M 5 AB, United Kingdom.
Tel: +44 (0) 171-486-1951
Fax: +44 (0) 171 935-8625
3rd MidEast Watch & Jewellery Fair
Wahid Farid, Expo Centre Sharjah,
P.O. Box 322, Sharjah,
United Arab Emirates.
Tel: (+971-6) 391888
Fax: (+971-6) 392888